. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK CROWD PLEASERS Belly flops. Underwater flips. These are just a couple of the tricks river otters perform for aquarium visitors. The Aquarium at Roanoke Island, boasts an 8,000-gallon water tank and a 25- foot-by-4-foot land area that are home for three river otters. River otters can weigh more than 40 pounds and live from 10 to 15 years in the wild, sometimes longer in captivity. A river otter's curiosity is another reason for its popularity. "The/re very intelligent, and cu
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK CROWD PLEASERS Belly flops. Underwater flips. These are just a couple of the tricks river otters perform for aquarium visitors. The Aquarium at Roanoke Island, boasts an 8,000-gallon water tank and a 25- foot-by-4-foot land area that are home for three river otters. River otters can weigh more than 40 pounds and live from 10 to 15 years in the wild, sometimes longer in captivity. A river otter's curiosity is another reason for its popularity. "The/re very intelligent, and curiosity comes with that," says Gatens. "River otters are near-sighted," adds Lauren Jozic, aquarist at the Roanoke Island facility. "That may cause them to come close to a boat or person, but it also helps them see ; But don't plan on seeing a wild river otter playing during the day. As nocturnal animals, they do most of their playing and hunting at night. The aquarium's river otters wouldn't be able to keep up with their investigative and playful demeanor if it wasn't for a balanced diet. Jozic does her best to give them the nutrients they would receive in the wild. Each day she mixes one pound of meat - generally boiled chicken — with fish, one fruit, one vegetable, tomato juice and dry exotic feline chow. The aquarist feeds the otters half of the mixture in the morning and the other half in the evening. For a mid-day snack, the river otters may receive peanuts, dried fruit or dog treats. River otters are scavengers in the wild and mainly feast on fish, but will eat anything from bird eggs to mice. "We make sure the/re getting adequate nutrition," explainsjozic. "Frozen fish don't provide as many vitamins as living fish in the water, so we give them several types of food at ; The aquarists do their best to make river otters feel as though they're back in the streams. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: River otters bound sli
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
